ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Penn State men's basketball faces No. 2 Michigan in its first game of the new year in a 7 p.m. game Thursday, Jan. 3 in a sold-out Crisler Center. The game will be broadcast by ESPN and available on the ESPN app.
Thursday's contest is the first of two regular-season meetings between the Nittany Lions and the Wolverines with Michigan playing at the BJC on Tuesday, Feb. 12. The 2018-19 season marks the first time these two teams will play twice in the regular season after single meetings in both 2016-17 and 2017-18.
Michigan owns the 35-12 advantage in the series and has won 20 times in Ann Arbor vs. only two losses. In Penn State's last visit to the Crisler Center on Jan. 4, 2017, the Nittany Lions came out on the short end of the 72-69 decision.
Coach Patrick Chambers has faced Michigan coach John Beilein as a player (Philadelphia vs. LeMoyne), as an assistant coach (Villanova vs. West Virginia) and as a head coach (Penn State vs. Michigan).
WATCH: ESPN
TALENT: Jason Benetti (pxp) & Dan Dakich (analyst)
STREAM: WatchEspn.com or ESPN mobile app
LISTEN: Penn State Sports Network
Steve Jones (pxp) & Dick Jerardi (analyst)
AFFILIATES: GoPSUsports.com/MBBAffiliates1819
ONLINE: GoPSUsports.com/lionvision
XM 380 | Internet 971
LIVE STATS: Penn State at Michigan
SOCIAL: Twitter @PennStateMBB & @Coach_Chambers | Facebook | Instagram @PennStateMBB.
ROSTER: Penn State | Michigan
SCHEDULE: Penn State | Michigan
STATS: Penn State | Michigan
GAME NOTES: Penn State | Michigan | Big Ten
MEDIA GUIDE: Penn State | Michigan
MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
Coach: John Beilein (Wheeling Jesuit, 1975)
Michigan Record: 261-143 (12th season)
Career Record: 812-461 (41st season)
2018-19 Record: 13-0, 2-0 Big Ten
2018-19 Leading Scorer
#13 Ignas Brazdeikis, Fr., F – 16.5 ppg
2018-19 Leading Rebounder
#12 Jon Teske, Jr., C – 7-1 rpg
2018-19 Assists Leader
#3 Zavier Simpson, Jr., G – 6.2 apg
PENN STATE NITTANY LIONS
Coach: Patrick Chambers (Philadelphia, 1994)
Penn State Record: 120-128 (8th season)
Career Record: 162-156 (10th season)
2018-19 Leading Scorer:
#11 Lamar Stevens, Jr., F – 18.8 ppg
2018-19 Leading Rebounder:
#11 Lamar Stevens, Jr., F - 8.2 rpg
2018-19 Assists Leader:
#23 Josh Reaves, Sr., G - 3.5 apg
PENN STATE STARTERS (LAST GAME)
F -- 11 -- Lamar Stevens – Jr. | 2018-19 ppg: 18.8 | rpg: 8.2
Note: #5 scorer in B10, owns current streak of 20 double-figure scoring games
F -- 24 – Mike Watkins – R-Jr. | 2018-19 ppg: 6.5 | rpg: 6.8
Note: Possesses a career field goal percentage of 62.6 career, ranks in the top 30 in 5 NCAA active career stat categories
F -- 35 – Trent Buttrick – So. | 2018-19 ppg: 3.1 | rpg: 1.7
Note: Made first career start vs UMBC, scored a career-best 13 pts (5-5 FG and 3-3 3-FG) with 4 rebounds at Alabama.
G – 13 – Rasir Bolton -- Fr. | 2018-19 ppg: 14.2 | rpg: 2.4
Note: Has 10 games in double-figure scoring, Nittany Lions' leading scorer in two Big Ten games at 16.0 ppg
G – 23 -- Josh Reaves -- Sr. | 2018-19 ppg: 10.1 | rpg: 5.3
Note: Two-time B1G steals leader, ranks sixth on the NCAA active career steals list with 204
SERIES RECORD vs. MICHIGAN
Michigan holds the advantage in the overall series 35-12 and in games played in Ann Arbor 20-2. The two teams have met only once in each of the last two seasons.
The nine-point win at the BJC on Feb. 21, 2018 was the Wolverines' largest in the last three contests with PSU falling by 7 (79-72 at MSG 1/30/16) and 3 (72-69 at the Crisler Center 1/4/2017).
Meetings from the last 10 seasons are on page 4 of the game notes. The complete series list is on page 172 of media guide.
Series streak: Michigan, W7
Last game: UM 72-63, at Penn State, 2/21/18
Overall series: Michigan leads 35-12
at Ann Arbor: Michigan leads 20-2
Chambers vs. Michigan: 1-10
STARTING 5
Penn State opens the new year on the road for the ninth consecutive season and for the 12th time in the last 14 years.
In the last 10 meetings against ranked Big Ten opponents, Penn State has either won the game or has suffered a single-digit loss (4-6 record, details page 2).
CBS Sports has ranked the Nittany Lions' overall strength of schedule 17th and the nonconference schedule is 26th.
The Nittany Lions finished their nonconference season with a 7-4 record and had a perfect 5-0 mark at home. For the 14th-straight year, Penn State closed the November-December portion of the schedule with a winning record.
Junior forward and Julius Erving Award candidate Lamar Stevens has scored in double figures in every game this season, has five double-doubles and six games with 20 or more points in 2018-19. He has started all 85 games in his career.
NITTANY LIONS CLOSE NONCON SCHEDULE WITH PERFECT HOME RECORD
A 17-4 run to close the first half propelled Penn State to a 74-52 victory over UMBC in its final nonconference game of the season. Rasir Bolton had a game-high 18 points with four 3-pointers to lead the Nittany Lions.
Penn State extended its 40-27 halftime lead early over UMBC in the second half as Bolton opened the scoring for the Nittany Lions with a dunk and then Josh Reaves and freshman guard Myreon Jones combined for the next 10 Penn State points for a 52-35 lead with 14:06 to play.
Over the last 12:39 in the game, the Penn State defense allowed only 12 UMBC points on four baskets and four free throws. On the other side, Penn State took care of the ball with only three turnovers in the second half.
Nine Nittany Lions scored points in the game with Lamar Stevens adding 16 points to extend his streak of double-figure scoring games to 20. Reaves and Myles Dread had nine points each with Dread's coming off three treys.
Reaves had a game-best five assists and Stevens three as Penn State had 14 assists on 25 baskets. Sophomore forward Trent Buttrick, who made his first career start, had three points at the end of the game to give Penn State its final 22-point victory margin and added two rebounds, a block and steal to his stat line.
Penn State swept the statistical advantages, winning the points-in-the-paint battle (24-20), points off turnovers (16-9), second chance (13-11), fast break (9-0) and offense from the bench categories (21-19). The Nittany Lions topped the Retrievers in rebounds 36-30, blocks (6-1), steals (6-4) and had fewer turnovers (10-11).
UMBC's Joe Sherburne had 16 points for the Retrievers while Daniel Akin shared high-rebounding honors with Penn State's Stevens.
BY THE NUMBERS
3 – Millions of dollars raised (net) by Coaches vs. Cancer-Penn State since the organization was launched in 1995.
4 – The Nittany Lions limited Duquesne to only four field goals in the second half of the 73-67 victory, an opponent low reached four times in the Chambers era at Penn State (2H-3x, 1H-1x).
15 – With 204 career steals, Josh Reaves needs 15 more to pass Titus Ivory (218) for third on the Penn State career list and ninth on the Big Ten career list.
16.0 – Scoring average of Rasir Bolton in Penn State's two Big Ten games. The freshman guard had 15 points off the bench at Maryland and 17 vs. Indiana in his first career start.
101 – Number of 3-point field goals after 13 games – highest total at this point in the season in the Chambers era.
579 – Redshirt junior Mike Watkins has 579 career rebounds, currently 23rd on the Penn State chart. Only 20 Nittany Lions have collected more than 600.
$22,095 – Net funds raised for the American Red Cross Hurricane Relief Fund by Penn State and West Virginia from exhibition game ticket sales and donations from fans.
